Inspiration

Check out these old bottles my husband and I found while digging around old mining camps !!

I've always wanted to find old bottles, and finally I did !!

I needed a little inspiration to create some new jewelry, so I decided to use the colors from the bottles.

Here's the necklace I made:

I used Green Kyanite, Quartz and Sea Urchin Spines

There's inspiration everywhere, you just have to dig it up :)

Chrysocolla luv, again !!

Starting to string up some of my Chrysocolla that I got down in Tucson at the Gem Show.  I listed it on my Etsy page, that hurt because I want to keep it !!!

I really luv Chrysocolla, it's so beautiful :)

I mean really, just look at it....

 You can find it here in my Etsy shop:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/249626472/chrysocolla-slab-necklace?ref=shop_home_active_1

Do you have a Gypsy Soul ?

The colorful lifestyle of the Gypsy inspired me to create these bracelets.

 When I think of "Gypsy" I imagine bright bold colors mixed with a bohemian, wanderlust way of life.... dancing in the moonlight and all...

Don't we all have a little Gypsy Soul in us ?  I think so :)

You can find my Gypsy Soul bracelets on my Etsy page here:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/driftnbleu?ref=hdr_shop_menu

CHANGE, just change :)

CHANGE....  

When I made these bracelets, I was thinking of the leaves changing color, but also how we can all just  CHANGE, whenever, wherever, we choose.  That's a pretty cool thing to be able to do, think about it, we can change our hair, our shoes, our attitude, our outlook on life in a split second, how great is that :)

So if you're having a not so great day.... just CHANGE ;p

You can find my "CHANGE" bracelets in my Etsy shop here:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/driftnbleu?ref=search_shop_redirect

On another note, out here in Phoenix, when the pool drops to below 90 degrees, you know fall is coming !!! YAY :)  Finally !!!

Change is coming :)

I've always wanted to go back East in the fall and see the gorgeous colors of the leaves on the trees :)

Growing up in Southern California, we had a few trees here and there that would change out and color up, but I've never seen a huge forest of them !

Now I'm in Arizona, no color changing trees in Phoenix !
We have driven up to the mountains and found some pretty ones there, but I still would like to go back East somewhere to witness this awesome event in its full glory !

I'm ready for some cooler weather, its too hot here still !

I made some fall copper slabs, now I need to string them with leather and turn them into bracelets.

Fall colors make me happy :)

Sea Window Vase

I made one of my lil sea windows and decided to put it on a vase...
of course it needed a frame, so I made this one out of balsa wood :)

My cousin gave me the idea of putting the dark blue sand in there, it really makes
the window stand out.  Thanks Cuz :)

Rustic Sea Windows :)

So I started making these little "Sea Windows", they're made out of copper that I've enameled over, I thought they needed some kind of a frame, so I added the little burlap rope around the window to frame it and rustic it up a bit :)

I see the Caribbean, do you....

I will be listing these soon in my Etsy shop:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/driftnbleu?ref=search_shop_redirect

Going Beachy Style for Summer :)

Check out these new Beachy Style Necklaces I'm listing on my Etsy page:

I'm having a 20% off everything in my shop till Monday 6-22 !!!!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/driftnbleu?section_id=17398688&ref=shopsection_leftnav_1

Artisan Component Design Challenge

Artisan Component Design Challenge

I was lucky enough to be chosen to participate in the Design Challenge !

We were given 3 beautiful components to work with.

It was fun to rummage thru my stash to find just the right "something" to match and add to the pieces :)  

Thanks again to all the Designers who gave away their precious components for all of us to play with :)

Here's what I created with my Designer components:

This awesome boho 'lil wooden clasp is from Asbury Avenue Designs....it's so cute !
I used the blue sari silk ribbon that was part of the kit also, I think the blues in the silk really blend in nicely with the clasp.  In keeping with the "boho" theme, I had these blue wooden rondells that match really well also.  I added a small enameled copper tube that I had made in between the rondells to set them off a bit and to add to the rustic look.

This ceramic "sunflower" pendant is from Marla's Mud, very cute also :)

Still on the "boho" theme, I strung everything on brown leather, cause brown leather screams boho!

I used the sunflower as the focal point of the necklace, I tried to pick up the colors of the sunflower with some purple components.  I had this cute lil lavender flower bell that fit right in there :)  I also used the bright fuchia sari silk ribbon to add a little pizzazz !  There are some purple wooden disks in there, as well as some purple "fuzzy wire" that I just wrapped around the leather.

To finish the necklace off, I dug thru my lampwork beads and found this disk that matched pretty well !

The final component is from Kristi Bowman Design and is beautiful ! 

I love the etching on this piece :)

I'm a Copper/Turquoise kind of girl so when I received Kristi's Copper piece I knew which direction I was going immediately !

I gathered some components in coppers and blue/greens:  The Turquoise nuggets, the piece of Chrysophase, the copper wavy discs that I put a patina finish on, one of my enameled copper bells, the enameled copper stick and a copper plated "ribbon" bead.  I dangled some turquoise green glass beads from the copper bell and dangled the Turquoise nuggets from Kristi's copper piece.

It's been a fun challenge !! 

Thank you to Artisan Component Marketplace for hosting this Challenge and Blog Hop.

I can't wait to look at all the other designs !

Here's the links to the Component Designers as well as the other participating Designers:

Copper Component is from Kristi Bowman Design http://artisancomponentmarketplace.com/kristibowmandesign/

Ceramic Component is from Marla's Mud

http://artisancomponentmarketplace.com/marlasmud/

Wood Toggle Clasp is from Asbury Avenue Designs

http://artisancomponentmarketplace.com/asburyavenuedesigns/

Artisan Component Marketplace Blog

http://artisancomponentmarketplace.com/acm-blog-1-column-with-sidebar/

Participating Designers:

Brandy Haag http://bhjewelry.wordpress.com/

Carolyn http://carolynscreationswa.blogspot.com/

Jenny Kyrlach http://anafiassa.blogspot.com/

Kelly Hosford Patterson http://travelingsideshow.blogspot.com/

Lori Poppe http://lorillijeanscreativecorner.blogspot.com/

Robin Kae Reed http://artistryhcbd.indiemade.com/blog

Gloria Allen http://wingsandbeads.blogspot.com/

Rachel Mallis http://www.mintmonarch.com/#!blog/c1jlz

Glass Magic Mushrooms !

Who doesn't luv a cute lil' bumpy shroom ;p

These are all beads, so they do have a hole down the center for stringing.
They also look nice in terrariums or just sitting out.  Unlike regular mushrooms,
these enjoy the sunlight and really shine when soaking up the rays !

I've just listed them on my Etsy page under "components" :

https://www.etsy.com/shop/driftnbleu?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Lil' mini fairy mushroom house ;p

We're all Ears Challenge

Awesome macro photos by Martin Amm serves as this months "We're all Ears Challenge" from  Earrings Everyday.

Lots of pretty colors going on here as well as bubbly textures :)

I had a couple lampwork beads that I'd made a month ago and decided to use them since they have some bubbli-ness going on ;p
The little copper colored bubbly beads are a great find that I found down in Tucson at the gem show.
I used the blueish/lilac colored fresh water pearls, just because I love fresh water pearls, and they kind of go with some of the eye color.

Macro photography is just incredible, it really brings so much meaning to the small things in life :)

Fun Challenge !

Thanks,
Terri

WOYWW

First time doing the What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday !

Finished this necklace, now I'm trying to figure out if I want to sell my little glass mushrooms as components, or string them on a necklace, but I keep getting distracted by all the other copper and nickel sticks so close by ;p

Geode Hunting

Yesterday was a beautiful day to be out Geode hunting !

 It was 75 degrees and sunny of course, it is Arizona !

Lake Pleasant has a great spot for Geode hunting and let me tell ya, we found quite a few !  If was fun finding them and then breaking them open to see what cool things have formed inside. This was our first time there and yes we will be back !

Then we got to shred all around the lake in our rzr, too much fun !

Gotta watch out for the wild burros, they're all over that place.  I'm bringing carrots next time to feed them :)

Here's some pics of the geodes we broke open and some "whole" geodes we brought home for our friends kids to break open.

Here's the geodes we broke open:

Geodes:

The lake :)

Here's the burros:

Fairy Bell Earrings

Here's my Fairy Bell Earrings :)

I'll be listing them today on my Etsy page:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/driftnbleu?ref=search_shop_redirect

Fairy Bells

I made some "Fairy Bells" today !!

They totally remind me of little bells that fairies would luv :)

Cut some copper disks, bent them and then enameled them in fairy like colors.

I think I'll make some earrings out of some of them and then just string up 3 or 4 together to make a Fairy Bell Strand, maybe just to hang in the window, or on your rear view mirror in the car.

I'll post some pics of the completed fairy items and post them on my Etsy page...

Which ones do you like better ?

So I enameled these pennies with the same color, but the pair on the right, I knocked some enamel off so they would have that "rustic, earthy" look.

Which pair do you like better?

I'll be finishing them off later with some dangling beads or stones, then listing them on my Etsy page.

Beachy Earrings

Cute 'lil beachy looking earrings :)

Enameled copper disc with aqua colors dangling from a couple fresh water pearls and some matte turquoise colored beads.

I will list them soon on my Etsy page.

Crusty Rusty Sticks and Tubes

I love trying to make nice shiny copper look like old rusty pieces !

Here's a few tubes and some sticks :)

Playing with Lincoln on Presidents Day ;p

Making an enamel color palette with pennies.

Minerals from the Tucson Gem Show

My husband and I are always picking up rocks in the desert, we love it.

We've found some pretty nice ones.

So when we go down to the Tucson Gem Show, it's just amazing to us to see all the different minerals and rocks from all over the world.

This year we decided to start a mineral collection, here's a few pics of what we got:

Pyrite, I know, I know, it looks fake huh !  Isn't it awesome!!  It grows in perfect cubes!

Here's a big hunk of Azurite/Malachite, the color is unbelievable !!

This one is called Crocolite, its from Australia, some of the specimens had these really large orange spikes coming out all over, there were very expensive !!

Can you imagine digging somewhere and finding these beauties ?  Wow, just Wow !

Help me, I'm a Chrysocolla Addict !!

Yes, I have a problem, I can't help myself...

I'm a Chrysocolla Addict and I don't care !!  It's so pretty !  need more....

The Tucson Gem Show is way too much fun !

Went down there for another 2 days of shopping, here's a few of my finds:

Chrysocolla, of course ;p Check out those nice slabs

Chrysoprase is sooooo pretty, that minty green is gorgeous !

Check this out, its Agate Druzy, very funky, I like it !

Time to start creating with these beauties :)

Tucson Gem Show Time !!

It's that time of year when all jewelry designers, rock & mineral hounders, bead makers, stone gatherers all migrate down to Tucson for the greatest Gem Show in the World, yes it's the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, and it's spectacular :)

I found some beautiful stones, can't wait to start designing and stringing them !

Here's just a few pics:

These are Peruvian Opal, just gorgeous color :)

Here's some Agate slabs

Beautiful Turquoise

Check this out, its a Petrified Chrysocolla pendant, awesome !

I'm going back Friday and Saturday to do some more rock/stone/bead shopping !

If you get the chance, you should visit this show, it's unbelievable !

There are so many shows in town it's crazy, here's a link for info:

http://www.visittucson.org/events/gem-show/

Getting ready to rain in the desert :)

Hiked up in North Scottsdale this morning, beautiful day for it !
It's trying to rain, hopefully tonight it will.